stem cells

Stem cell research is still too hot for most investors, but NeoStem is starting to change that, thanks to some unexpected events. Among them are the Catholic Church's surprising embrace of NeoStem's research and NeoStem's foothold in China's vast health care market.

Following Monday's ruling in the Federal District Court for Washington, D.C., to block federal funding for research that uses human embryonic stem cells, companies researching and developing medical techniques involving stem cells saw shares tumble down today across the board.

StemCells Inc. shares jumped some 14% after the company reported new preclinical data showing its proprietary human neural stem cells restore lost motor function in mice long after their spinal cord injuries.

For investors on the hunt for groundbreaking technologies, stem cell therapies originally looked promising. But while the world waited for research to transform into treatments, Wall Street largely lost interest. Now, the science is accelerating, but stock prices haven't caught up. Is today your chance to make a killing on healing?

Long an old-line drug company, Pfizer is looking increasingly like a new biotech these days, especially after licensing a stem cell therapy. Athersys' MultiStem is a therapy that consists of a special class of stem cells obtained from the bone marrow of healthy, adult donors to treat inflammatory bowel disease.